Abduction
by Yesm777
Summary: Cal Lightman finds himself stuck on the hazardous process of raising a teenager...but maybe that isn't all he should be worrying about... Warning: Cal and Eli abuse!
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's note: Alright everybody, this is the first chapter. :) Please review! Tell me how to make it better! :D_

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**1. Emily  
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"You're my daughter, Emily, and having my share of experiences, I can't let you do whatever you want!" Cal explained in his defense against a wroth, stubborn teenage girl.

"You have to let me learn my own way sometimes too!" she yelled. With a frustrated growl, she stomped out of the front door and left behind an unhappy Dr. Lightman. He heard a car door slam as she got into her friend's car and the vehicle soon after sped off to Emily's school.

Cal sighed and shook his head, finding the maze of raising a teenage daughter rather difficult to navigate through. Zoe was out of town for the week and Emily was staying with him until the following Monday. When she asked him if she could go to a party that night—a Friday—that included alcohol, he had flatly refused. Of course, as any teenager, she tried to argue that she was underprivileged and that he should trust her. Oh, he trusted her, he just didn't trust the other kids at the party. He wasn't quite ready for the war that erupted in his kitchen that morning, and for once he felt bad for the people he'd interrogated in the past as Emily unleashed her almighty fury.

"At least she told the truth..." he tried to justify, thinking back to how she had honestly told him there would be alcohol at the event. Cal exhaled forlornly. "She's still probably going to that bloody party though..."

He grabbed his jacket as he left through the front door, locking it behind him and getting into his car. As he turned the engine on and backed out of his driveway, he made a mental note to call his daughter later in the day and somehow convince her from making a poor decision. Sure, he hadn't exactly been the most angelic of teenagers, but he still had the responsibility of teaching _her_ right from wrong.

Before Cal got out of his car, he smoothed out the expression on his face as to avoid any unneeded inquiries about his personal life from Foster or any of his little cronies. Foster was the one most likely to notice abnormalities in his behavior, but he didn't worry much about Ria or Eli. Eli was much too frightened of how Cal would react if he poked his nose in his business and Ria would probably only talk to Eli about what she noticed, since she still felt a bit like the new kid on the block.

He pushed through the glass door to face a new day at The Lightman Group. Employees were already milling around, busy in whatever minor jobs the company had received.

"Hey, Cal!" Foster called as she walked towards him with a blue folder in hand. Her heels clicked against the polished floor as she practically flaunted off an ocean blue, knee-length dress. Obviously, it was new.

"Is that a new dress, love?" he inquired as he took the folder from her absentmindedly.

"O-oh, yes. I just got it last week." she answered proudly, holding her arms out a small distance from her body and looking at the outfit herself.

"It looks lovely on you." he mumbled, glancing up at her cheerful face. "Really suits you..." Cal gazed back at the folder, looking intently at the contents.

"This is the progress on the case you left Loker and Torres to work on." she explained, quickly getting over her flattered behavior. "They've actually just wrapped it up last night and they wanted me to let you know." Cal was careful in reviewing the case as to make sure nothing was missed. He trusted his team, but there was always a chance for screw-ups and that's just how Loker got himself into an unpaid internship in the first place.

At the end of his review, Dr. Lightman didn't even give a smile; he simply handed back the folder and replied:

"Looks fine." he muttered and started towards his office. "I'd like to see that dress more often!" Foster smiled as she watched him in his awkward saunter, although it gave him an air of authority.

The day was slow; there weren't any new, outstanding cases to demand his attention. He felt it was unusually slow activity for a place as large as D.C., but, even so, it was always nice to rest from the fact that everybody lied. Cal took advantage of the day to look over financial records, especially with the extremely low amount of cash in the company's pocket. Perhaps there would be something he could cut for the time being until the Lightman Group was back on steady financial feet. At around four in the afternoon, Cal stopped to call Emily, hoping to persuade her from going to that ridiculous party and getting into some sort of trouble. He pressed '2,' for speed dial on his cell and then pressed 'talk.' After several rings, when he was starting to fear she wouldn't answer, Emily's voice sounded on the other end.

"Hey, dad." she sighed irritably.

"'Ello, love." he greeted, strangely getting worried that this call wouldn't go over well. She was already in a bad mood and what he had to say wasn't going to suddenly make her happy. "I know you hate it, but I don't want you going to that party." he said gently in his lazy British accent, not wanting to scare her off the line.

"Ugh, you called just to tell me that?!" she shouted. Oops. Mission: complete failure; crash and burn; the whole works.

"I'm...concerned 'bout you going." he answered calmly. Sadly, he knew his call wasn't going to stop her and he couldn't help but remember when he found out she was going to frat parties behind his back.

"Dad, it's _just_ a party! I'm not going to drink or do any drugs—"

"_Drugs?_ There are going to be _drugs_?" he grilled. Okay, she was only half honest about the situation. "Emily, I'm not going to let you go to that party!" he yelled, his voice high pitched in anger. Then again, he wasn't home and she always found some way to get around.

"You are so frustrating!" she shrieked. _Click_. Cal looked at his phone as his eyes focused on the 'call ended' for a moment.

"Teenagers..." he muttered and cursed under his breath. Great. Now Emily was going to be at a party with alcohol _and_ drugs. What more could he ask for? "I'm gonna kill her..." he snarled as he slid his phone back in his pocket.

Foster knocked on the open door as she peeked in.

"Everything okay? I thought I heard you yelling..." she inquired.

"No, everything's just lovely." he sighed, turning his back to her. Foster heard the hint of sarcasm in his voice, but knew when he didn't want her to pry.

"Okay...I'll just be in my office." she said quickly, trying to escape the thick air of anger that started to crawl its way around Cal's office. He heard the _click click click_ of her heels fleeing rapidly back to her own office and let out another curse.

"She better come home sober or I _will_ kill her." he promised himself. "I hate teenagers..." It wasn't actually true, but it was the right words for the moment and he took advantage of them immediately.

After cooling off a bit and looking back over the numbers, he went to Foster's office to discuss possible expenses that could be slashed from the long list of numbers. They had gone through this before, yet the more they saved the better and Gillian encouraged Lightman in his efforts. Even though he tried to focus on the task at hand, his mind still lingered on one thing:

The safety of his daughter.

Following his consultation with Gillian, Cal returned to his office to make a few calls and stop some of the cash streams flowing from the company's finances. "What a pathetically boring and frustrating day." he muttered to himself as he slammed the phone down for the last time. For some odd reason, the people on the other line found him to be disagreeable and he couldn't even fathom why.

Cal's brow furrowed as images of what horrible things Emily could be doing danced across his mind. He should've asked where the event was, just so he could break up the party and drag his stubborn daughter home. He would ground her as soon as he could, but the joint custody he shared with his ex-wife didn't quite ensure his sentence to be carried out. After all, it was Zoe who encouraged the teen to get birth control pills. Cal didn't like it...not one bit.

He tried Emily's cell again, although, as he painfully expected, she didn't answer. Stupid girl. Stupid party. Stupid teenage ideas. Lightman wished she was a toddler again, where when she was investigating something, she would simply put it in her mouth and gnaw on it. All he had to do then was make sure she didn't put anything dangerous in her mouth, or slobber on her hands and stick her finger in an electric socket. That was easy enough then. But when teenagers experimented, it was a lot different and more complicated. He couldn't just take the box of rat poison away from her. He let out a sigh and slumped into his chair, staring out into the cloudy night. It was ominous and thrust him deeper into his sour mood.

Cal stayed late, finding random activities to busy himself. He concluded by reading some of the reports from Torres and Loker that had been stacking up on his desk. Might as well get them off the already crowded surface; he had time. Everyone had left merely an hour previously, even Foster and the secretary, leaving Lightman alone in his office with darkness enveloping the rest of the facility. He _wanted _to find Emily, he _wanted_ to do something, but no matter what way he looked at it...there wasn't anything he could do. His phone buzzed on his desk as he bored himself with another one of Loker's reports. The sudden call stopped the ongoing '_blah blah blah..._' that had settled into his head and he was quick to answer it without even looking at the caller ID. _Anything_ to get him away from this slow and excruciatingly tedious read.

"'Ello?" he mumbled, slapping the report on the desk.

"Dad?" voiced a familiar sound on the other end, which had a hint of a frantic tone. Cal sat up in his chair quickly, suddenly very serious. He'd been waiting for something like this to happen, but he hadn't exactly expected it.

"What is it, Emily?" he asked, concerned.

"Can you come pick me up?" she asked, sounding upset. "I'm at Sarah's house."

"Yeah, sure, love." he assured, not in the mood to chew her out now. "What happened?" He snatched his jacket and tugged it on as he switched the phone between his two hands appropriately. The keys on his desk, waiting patiently to be used again, were snatched up into his hand. He exited his office without bothering to shut the light off in his hurry.

"There was just some guys." she breathed, emotion at the edge of her voice. "They were just a little too drunk and a little too...stoned." Cal winced at the comment, unsure if he really wanted to know what happened next. "I just want to go home."

"Alright, love." he agreed. He stayed on the line and there was an uncomfortable silence between them. Cal was just out the elevator, stepping into the parking garage.

There was a hum of a vehicle and a screech of tires before Lightman really knew what was happening. Without having the chance to even glance behind him, the side door on the white van slid open and two men dressed in black grabbed him from behind. In the shock of the attack, Cal dropped his phone and his keys, nearly letting out a surprised yell until his mouth was muffled by a white cloth. His vision fuzzed and his strength immediately left him while his captors dragged him towards the van. Prior to being thrown into the vehicle, he blacked out entirely, leaving him completely helpless in the hands of these new found enemies. The van tires squealed as they escaped the scene, unnoticed by the surrounding residents.

"Hello?" Emily's voice rang out from the phone. "Dad? Hello?" She was practically hysterical now,

And for good reason.

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_Author's note: Please review! I beg of you! Critique it, praise it; just help me out here. :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you for reviews! I know it was rather evil of me, but I decided to see if I had positive feedback before chapter two would come up... Meaning: I've had it ready for you all along. 9_9 Please review!  
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**2. Spread the Word**

Gillian groaned as her phone buzzed on her nightstand. Unfortunately, it was enough to wake her up and she now felt obligated to answer it. It better not be Lightman, or he'll be having her voice ringing in his ear for a week. She glanced at the caller ID, melting away her annoyance as her eyes fell on 'Emily.' It had been agreed that Cal's daughter should have Gillian's number in case there was ever a chance neither Zoe or Lightman were reachable. Foster _had _to answer it; it was probably something important.

"Hello?" she answered groggily.

"Oh, Gillian, I'm so sorry, but I don't know what to do and I-I-I..! I just don't know what to do!" Emily stammered anxiously.

"Okay, okay, calm down." Gillian crooned as she slowly got up from bed. "Talk slowly, tell me what you're talking about." She slid her feet into the slippers beside her bed and turned on the lamplight to search for more appropriate clothes.

"I was at a party...and I know dad didn't want me there, but I went anyway and then some drunk guys came on to me and—" Foster found it hard to translate her words as they blended into one heck of a long sound. "—I got freaked out, so I called dad to come pick me up and he said he would come right away and—" Emily only stopped to swallow and sniffle before she continued with her frantic run on sentence. "—we were both really quiet on the phone and I suddenly heard some tires skidding or something and then the phone sounded like it dropped and then the car drove away!" she finally finished, her last words smashing together, causing Gillian to try and split them apart to figure out what Cal's daughter meant to convey. Emily took a deep breath and calmed herself before she added one last thing to her explanation. "I asked if he was still there...but he didn't answer..." she mumbled quietly, obviously emotionally distressed at this point. Gillian struggled to really understand what Emily was trying to tell her. Finally, it hit her like a ton of bricks and she was tempted to suck in a sharp gasp, but fought back the urge for Emily's sake.

"Okay, okay, tell me where you are." Gillian ordered in a shaky voice. "I'm coming to pick you up."

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Emily turned off her phone as she finally ended her conversation with Dr. Foster. She was frightened and the various noises from her father's end of the line replayed in her head over and over again. The party still went on behind her as she stood alone on the sidewalk, tears streaming down her face. A few drunk teens had made their way outside, only to pass out on the front lawn and trapping themselves into an awkward situation. Emily didn't notice them at all as her fear-stricken, large, brown eyes searched for Gillian's car. Foster said she was close and Emily was depending on it. The car finally turned around the corner, stopping next to the curb where Emily stood. Quickly, Emily got in the passenger's seat, looking at a Dr. Foster that had literally just rolled out of bed. Her hair was in a rough ponytail and she wore a t-shirt and sweats.

"Take me to the parking garage." Emily ordered in a nervous tone. Gillian knew which parking garage she was talking about and wasn't about to protest against the teen's wish. If she had taken the time to think it through, she would've tried to persuade Emily from going to scene of the crime. But, she _wasn't_ thinking, just worrying.

Gillian drove quickly, but carefully, towards The Lightman Group, afraid of what she was about to find. Maybe he'd simply dropped his phone accidentally and he was perfectly fine. Then again, he would've called Emily back by now and he wouldn't have left her standing on that sidewalk by herself. Something was wrong, _very_ wrong.

Foster slowly made her way into the parking garage, stopping abruptly as soon as she saw Cal's car, still parked, and still waiting to be driven home. She left the car running as she and Emily got out from the car, walking quickly along the asphalt as an object caught their eye.

Cal's phone sat next to his sparkling set of keys, but Dr. Lightman was nowhere in sight.

Emily's breath caught in her chest as she glanced around frantically for any sign of her father. The faint skid marks snagged her eye and her sight settled onto the black streaks plastered on the already dark surface.

"No, no..." Foster moaned as she pulled out her phone. She needed to call Loker; she needed to call a man with stronger emotions than her own. Everything was so surreal, but inescapably real at the same time: it just didn't make any sense to her mind.

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Eli grumbled nonsense as his phone rang loudly, connected to its charger and placed on his dresser. He had forgotten to turn off his phone again and it irritated him. There had been too many times when a buddy had sat on his phone and accidentally called Loker in the middle of the night. He hated it; he needed sleep or he couldn't focus on his job. He was trying to _gain_ Lightman's favor, not lose it.

Loker chose to ignore the call as he pressed the pillow over his ears and attempted to fall back to sleep. There was silence as the ringing stopped, earning a sigh of relief from Eli. To his dismay, the ringing persisted again and he squeezed his eyes shut with the realization that it wasn't an accidental call: he had to answer it. He tumbled out of bed and picked up the phone, clearing his throat just before he answered.

"Hello?" he said clearly, although his voice sounded quieter than he thought it would.

"Loker!" Dr. Foster gasped on the other end.

"Foster?" he asked, unsure if his weary ears were tricking him.

"Yes, yes, Loker, it's me, Dr. Foster." she told him quickly. He was instantly suspicious from her behavior and searched for a pair of jeans to slip on.

"Why are you calling so late?" he asked, retrieving a clean pair of jeans from their home in his drawer.

"It's Lightman;" she answered shakily. "somebody took him."

"What?" he paused amid his dressing to listen more thoroughly. "What do you mean, 'somebody took him?'"

"I mean, he was abducted, Eli." she whispered sadly. Loker hurriedly got dressed and thrust the phone back to his ear, running out of his bedroom and snatching his keys from the bowl beside his front door.

"Where are you?" he growled.

"The parking garage." she nearly cried, sounding as if the task to hold back tears became increasingly difficult.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." he assured her, waiting for her reply.

"Okay..." she said softly, permitting him to end the call and slide his phone back into his pocket. He was skipping steps as he ran down the stairs from his apartment and sprinted to his car. Lightman...abducted. Eli couldn't even imagine it, let alone accept it. But it had to be true, especially if it was Dr. Foster on the other end.

His car came to life at the twist of his key and he zoomed from his parking lot, tires screaming as he headed out to the main road. It wasn't often that Eli was worried and when it came to Lightman and danger, there wasn't much to freak out about. Cal practically threw himself into danger most of the time, and if he didn't, the perils of the world would find him. But, the team had always known where Lightman was in such hazardous times. If there was anybody to always keep tabs on the good doctor, it was Ben Reynolds: the company's muscle. Maybe he did right now, but Eli was much too focused on getting to Foster to take the time to call Ben.

It was almost shocking that Eli hadn't gotten tickets for speeding or running red lights on his way to the scene of the crime. He swerved into the parking garage and parked his car behind Foster's in an abrupt stop, echoing the sound of skidding rubber around them. Gillian had finally turned off her vehicle and was now embracing Emily tightly as Cal's daughter wept in silence with big, brown eyes.

"_Emily's_ here?" Loker hissed to Gillian, as though Emily wasn't present. Cal could be a heartless, irritating man sometimes, but everyone could see he had unconditional love for his daughter. It would take an idiot not to understand she returned the feelings. Facing the situation _now_ at this place and in this way was probably going to be very difficult on her.

"She was the one who suspected something first." Gillian replied in barely a whisper. "She heard it all happen on the phone." Eli glanced around the floor, his eyes finally falling on the abandoned keys and phone. "What should we do?"

"Uh...I'll...I'll call Reynolds and Torres." Eli answered, obviously proving himself to be the most levelheaded. He stared at the distraught Emily for a moment before he strode a ways from the two females to make the calls.

"He's going to be fine, Emily." Gillian hushed as a small whimper escaped the teen's lips. "We'll get him back, we'll find him." She sounded more like she was convincing herself rather than Emily. Loker was starting to make hand gestures as he spoke into his phone and she assumed it must've been the short-tempered Agent Reynolds on the other end; Loker was more the type to swivel in his chair as he spoke with someone. But, with this stressful event and an angry man on the phone, Foster could understand why Loker held a tensed hand up in the air for no apparent reason. These sorts of things brought out emotions in people that even they themselves never knew. Eli was a lax person, even if he was painfully truthful with his 'radical honesty.' Right now, though, he was taking charge and he was under a lot of pressure.

Gillian continued to hug Emily tightly as Loker finished up. He walked back to where they stood, sighing and rubbing his neck.

"What did they say?" Dr. Foster inquired gently, brushing hair out of Emily's face.

"Reynolds is angry and Torres is just concerned..." he answered. "They said they'll be here pretty soon." Eli's gaze fell back to Cal's daughter as he took in the red-rimmed eyes and the continuous tears.

"You really should take her home." he urged Gillian. "Maybe she should stay the night with you."

"O-oh, I can't just leave here..." Foster stammered.

"I've got it handled." Eli assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You two need some rest." Gillian continued to gape at him, trying to search for some reason to be in the parking lot. "You don't need to be here, Foster. Go home, take Emily with you." Gillian thought about it for a moment, looking at the ground as she realized he spoke the truth.

"Come on, Emily." she soothed, leading the young girl towards her car. She whispered comforting words into the teen's ear even as she helped her into the passenger seat, all the while avoiding Eli's gaze. Loker watched as they drove away, taking a path that avoided any part of the evidence entirely. He took in a long breath and let out a lingering exhale. Lightman. Abducted. But...why?

As much as this all upset him and left his insides curling inwards uncomfortably, he was grateful he'd left his phone on. He couldn't believe it was simply a coincidence, even if everyone else would try and convince him otherwise. Loker found himself staring off into a never ending space with a lump forming in his throat. Quickly, he shook himself out of it, clearing his throat to compose himself once again. Reynolds could be here in a matter of minutes and he didn't want be zoning out again when the investigation started rolling. He looked around him, realizing he was alone. Alone...

"Ah, geez..." he sighed as the true impact of the situation settled deeper into his emotions. He leaned against his car and slid down the door to sit on the ground.

Reynolds better step on it.

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_Author's note: Perhaps it wasn't as action-packed... but let me get the ball rolling! Reviews please! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: Yay! Number three is up to read. I hope it's to your satisfaction. :) Remember! Give me reviews!_

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**3. Patience on the Edge of a Knife**

"Come on, Emily. You really should eat some of it." Gillian advised as Emily glumly stared at the scrambled eggs before her. "I know you don't feel like it, but...I really can't worry about you _and_ Cal." She had tried to think of a better excuse that didn't include Lightman, but her mind wasn't exactly at its best performance this morning. Emily took a deep breath, then dug into the eggs as if she was trying to get the meal over with.

"I want to go to The Lightman Group with you." Emily stated between two hurried bites. Foster paused amid drying a newly cleaned pan.

"Of course." she answered softly, putting the pan away. Now that she had a sleepless night thinking this tragedy through, she realized that maybe it wasn't best to include Emily in on all of this. Gillian wanted to let her in on the investigation, but what good would it do for Emily? Then again, she didn't know how to refuse the big, brown eyes that now gazed up at her intently.

It was a silent car ride to the office. Neither of them felt like saying much, as there was too much weighing on their minds to strike up a conversation. Their lack of words continued even as they walked down the hall of The Lightman Group, catching glances from several of the employees. Gillian led Emily into her office, where she found Eli, Ria and Ben waiting. Loker and Reynolds were in a quiet argument that was just loud enough for Dr. Foster to hear.

"Go home, Loker." Ben hissed.

"No." Eli replied, a taunting smile on his face. "I'm fine, I'm not going to fall asleep when something important is going on."

"You've been around all night, go home!" Reynolds repeated.

"Torres was here all night too!" Loker protested, glancing at the smirking Ria.

"But she actually _slept_."

"Good morning." Gillian greeted with a sigh as she and Emily ventured into the room. Ben and Eli quickly stopped talking and their eyes followed Dr. Foster expectedly, as if she was going to suddenly break down emotionally.

Gillian looked down on her desk to see a small box, her name written simply across the cardboard surface.

"The secretary said she found it in front of the door this morning." Reynolds relayed, hinting that he had indeed left the premises while Loker and Torres had stayed. Dr. Foster scooted it to the side as Emily sat in a seat next to Eli. Gillian started to sit down when a ring came from within the box. She bolted upright as everyone else froze. A phone?

"Open it." Ben ordered when Gillian had given him a look of inquiry. She quickly picked up a pen and drove the tip of it across the tape, unsealing the two cardboard flaps. Hastily, her hands fumbled to open the small encasing and retrieve the phone that was buried beneath packing popcorn. As soon as her grip was tight, she pressed 'talk' and answered the call, looking at the others in the room with frantic eyes.

"Hello?" she said nervously. She listened intently for awhile, glancing between the faces in the room. With a nod, she pressed the button to activate the speaker phone and placed the device on the table.

"Good morning, team." the voice on the other end addressed. His voice sounded unstable, as if he was about to burst into yelling at any point. An icy knife of dread stuck into Foster as she grappled the idea what kind of people Lightman was captured by. Short fuses...not afraid to do anything...

No one had responded to the voice on the other end for a long while. Mostly, their faces held thoughtful, or concentrating looks. Emily was the only one that embraced her teary expression.

"Who is this?" Reynolds barked, now looking vexed by the phone call.

"You already know that." the man chuckled, sounding less like he was going to kill Cal and more like he was going to play a board game with a crew of kindergarteners. Perhaps the situation had him jumping between emotions and that just made the team feel worse about what was going on. "You know we have Lightman. I just wanted to say hello...We'll keep in touch." With a soft _beep_ the voice escaped the conversation. Ria looked at all the other room occupants as everyone stared off into an empty vision, frozen from the call. The scowl on Ben's face wasn't unusual in any way, but the lack of teasing sparkle in Eli's eyes troubled her, as it often did. She felt no fear if anybody else could find no reason to. But that room was heavy with fear and it didn't take long for it to seep into Torres's mind. They hadn't heard from Lightman at all, how did they know that the man on the phone hadn't already killed him? How did they know that doing what he said or giving him what he wanted would really save their boss? Logic was both applicable and inapplicable in this case. They could predict nothing based on that short phone call and it terrified them _all_. They needed a Lightman to save Lightman.

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"You seem a l'il' scared." Cal observed, watching the rugged young man shiftily glance at him. "Where's your boss? Did he leave you here? That's not very nice..." The young man glared at him, firming his grip on the gun in his hands. There wasn't really anything Cal could do, except for talking; he had been duct taped to a chair without gagging him. "Aren't you a bit young to be getting into this sort of trouble? Don't you have more exciting things to do?" Cal couldn't help it; he was annoyingly inquisitive by habit.

"Leave the kid alone." growled a man in his thirties, returning from a trip outside. Behind him followed another scruffy man, staring down menacingly at Dr. Lightman. From what Cal could tell, he was held in an empty warehouse.

"What do you want with me?" Cal asked casually, grimacing as he wiggled his hands behind him. The skin under the duct tape was starting to get agonizingly itchy, and his back hurt from the uncomfortable chair. "I've been here basically all night and morning and I'd like to know why." The leader of the group stayed silent, keeping his gaze on his prisoner. Cal sighed and glanced between the three men stubbornly. "Alright then, at least tell me your names; I like to know who I'm being tortured by." Again, they were silent, but only for awhile.

"Pierce." the lead man answered, not giving another word. He nudged the unshaven man next to him, signaling to cooperate.

"I'm Dan." he said in a rough voice, as if he had gravel for vocal chords. The younger man took a deep breath, needing no order to introduce himself.

"It's Michael, but...everybody just calls me Mike." he sighed, shifting his weight nervously. Cal leaned his head to the side as a thoughtful look painted his face. Mike was too innocent, too soft for this sort of dirty work. Cal was troubled by the thought of boys Mike's age getting into a rotten life so soon. It reminded Lightman of himself and caused a thought of Emily to flash into his mind.

Emily.

He finally realized he'd left her standing on a sidewalk by herself; better yet, she'd heard him getting kidnapped on the other end of the line. How she must be feeling... But, Foster would take care of her, he was positive of it. All he could do right now was put a little faith in his team and hope for the best. He was at the mercy of two men and a teenager, even though the fact irritated him a bit.

"Why am I here?" Cal repeated. He tried to read their faces for contempt, guilt, anything! "Mike, do you know? Huh? Do you know why I'm here?" Mike just stared at him, scared and uncomfortable. He took a step back from Lightman, as though one foot more between them would make it all better.

"Take a break; go outside." Pierce ordered. Mike was quick to take up his offer and turned on his heel, heading straight for the door. He leaned his gun gingerly on the wall before exiting the warehouse.

"You're a nuisance, you know that?" Dan grumbled, his brow furrowed.

"I know." Cal agreed, nodding. "Who is he, by the way? Family, maybe?" A pull of one-second sadness in Pierce's face gave away the answer. "Really? Cousin?" No reaction from Lightman's subject. "Maybe a nephew?" Again, no emotion. "How 'bout a brother?" Again, the same micro expression tugged on Pierce's guise.

"You need to keep your mouth shut." Dan demanded roughly, leaning in threateningly. Cal ignored him.

"Why are you dragging your brother into all this? What did he do?" Cal shot off. Pierce's face contorted into extreme contempt and Cal suddenly became nervous.

"You're really starting to piss me off." Pierce growled. Cal stared at him with wide eyes, cringing when he heard the sound of metal sliding on metal. He glanced down at Pierce's hand, a knife gripped within the fist.

"What are—?" Cal begun, stopping as soon as Pierce's hand shot up in the air, dagger raised.

"No!" Lightman shouted as the knife came down, shutting his eyes tightly.

* * *

"Something is definitely very wrong about all this." Foster commented, getting a chill.

"Well, duh. Some madman abducts Lightman and he sounds creepier than anyone I've ever met." Eli vented. Foster tried her best not to look offended, but the expression showed anyway.

"Thank you, Loker, but I think I can go without your radical honesty for the time being." Gillian said gently. Eli glanced at her guiltily, and then stared at the floor.

"From past experience, I can tell you he's going to be making demands." Reynolds explained, his nostrils flaring. Loker was about to make a snide remark about stating the obvious, but thought better of it in the last second.

"We don't even know a single thing about this guy!" Ria pointed out, provoking a wave of dread as it swept over the group. "We don't even know how many people are involved." Emily had already left, taking Gillian's suggestion to catch a nap. She was probably in Lightman's office at the moment, drifting into a dream...or a nightmare.

"All we can do is wait for another call." Foster concluded sadly. As if on cue, the phone started to ring, vibrating against the desk top. Gillian immediately put it on speaker phone and the team leaned in to listen.

"I hope you're all willing to work fast, because I'm losing my patience with Dr. Lightman." This time, the voice sounded infuriated; there were deep, shaky breaths signaling he was trying to calm down. Everybody in the room fidgeted at the news and condition of the situation. The man who held Cal's life in his hands was already getting fed up with his captive, and he hadn't even started instructing the team in accomplishing his demands.

"He's a bloody lunatic!" shouted a faint voice in the background. It was one that was all too familiar...

Cal's.

"Shut up!" the caller shouted.

"What did you do to him?" Gillian asked calmly.

"It's just...a flesh wound." the man replied, now sounding much less enraged.

"There is a bloody knife in my leg!" Lightman yelled in a high pitched tone, causing the team to catch their breath. There was a loud growl of pain from Cal, muffled from the distance between him and the phone.

"He asked too many questions." the man informed them, sounding not the least bit bothered. Nobody could resist the smirk tugging at their lips. Of course, only Dr. Lightman would interrogate the man with the knife.

"Please, let us talk to him..." Gillian pleaded. Reynolds shot her a you-shouldn't-have-done-that look, instantly filling her with terror. The man sighed, almost as if he was thinking the idea through.

"Fine." he decided. There was a rough sound of air against the receiver, then the steady fuzz of the breathing.

"'Ello?" Cal said between breaths.

"Oh, Cal, are you okay?" Foster asked right off the bat, her eyes starting to water.

"I'm fine." he sighed heavily. "Except, Pierce here decided to stick me with a knife."

"Pierce? His name is Pierce?" Reynolds inquired quickly. There was another rush of air on the other end and the team listened intently with the speculation Lightman was now off the phone. Ria and Eli looked at each other fearfully as they continued to strain their ears.

"Hello? Lightman? Pierce?" Reynolds called, hoping for an answer and looking agitated.

"I'm sorry, Pierce is busy. We'll call back in a few minutes." conveyed a rough, scratchy voice. Just before the call ended, the team heard shouts, one of increasing anger and the other consisted of painful yelps. _Click_. The chaos fled and the ultimate worry settled in.

"There is definitely something very wrong about all this." Eli muttered.

* * *

_Author's Note: I hope you liked it! Please, leave reviews. :) They make me happy._


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: Sorry, this chapter is a little shorter... but I had a spot I wanted to end it! Please review! :)_

* * *

**4. Stubborn**

Cal breathed heavily as he stared at the blood soaking his jeans. Pierce had ripped out the knife in the last tantrum, releasing more of the crimson liquid. Cal could already feel himself getting weak while watching red drip onto the concrete floor.

"That wasn't smart." he stated dizzily. Pierce shook his head unhappily and walked towards the warehouse door.

"I think I'll take the next call outside." Pierce muttered. Dan scowled at Cal as he followed his partner, only to earn an equally foul glare from his adversary. Pierce threw the door open and flicked a pointing finger in his brother's direction.

"Watch him, Mike." he ordered. Mike peered curiously inside with innocent eyes.

"What did you do to him?!" Mike yelled, evident stress in his voice. Pierce waved his hand as if he meant to shoo his brother away. "He could bleed to death!" Pierce and Dan continued to walk, completely ignoring Mike's complaints. Mike jogged towards Cal, the door slamming behind him.

"W-what did he do?" Mike asked, glancing at the bloody knife that had been thrown on the floor and Cal's leg. Feeling pity for the poor kid, Lightman swallowed and kept his mouth shut. He didn't want Mike to get the truth from him; he didn't want to be the one that told the boy how horrible his brother was. Mike was too naïve: he still couldn't comprehend what Pierce was doing; he still looked up to his older brother in some way. Mike didn't bother pushing for the answer he sought, understanding that the prisoner refused to talk about it.

The teen searched frantically around for something that Cal couldn't even begin to recognize, but it struck his curiosity.

"What are you looking for?" he questioned wearily. Suddenly, Mike's eyes brightened and he quickly clawed at his wrist. Lightman's eyes followed the movement and found that Mike was trying to untie a white bandana from his arm.

"This'll help." Mike assured him, tying the bandana around Cal's leg, just above the stab wound. Cal tried to estimate the probability of Mike having a bandana _exactly_ when he needed it, but soon gave up. Maybe it was some teenage fad, which meant that it wasn't really that odd.

"Why are you helping your brother in all this?" Cal inquired. Mike's face settled into obvious signs of shame and guilt. "You know that what you're doing is wrong, so why?" Mike studied the floor for a moment.

"I'm obligated, it's for family. At least...that's what Pierce says." Mike sighed.

"Do you believe him?"

"Not...really..." Mike sat on the floor and crossed his legs.

"How's your leg?" he asked quietly.

"It, uh...it bloody hurts." Cal breathed.

* * *

The phone rang, singing the now bitter-sweet tone that the team didn't know if they should welcome or dread.

"Hello?" Gillian answered, again putting it on speaker phone.

"It's time we talk about what I want, why I'm doing all this." Pierce explained, catching their attention.

"What do you want?" Ria asked, leaning on the desk. She was getting frustrated with how long it took for Pierce to shell out his demands. He was silent on the other end and the team held their breath to listen.

"My brother, Jack Tate... your company was helping to collect evidence against him." Pierce said, his voice a low mumble.

"Yeah, I was on that case." Loker explained, moving himself closer to the phone. "I helped wrap it up yesterday." Torres was about to admit she also contributed to the investigation, but Eli quickly shook his head at her. She was stunned he wouldn't allow her to take credit, then hoped it was for a good reason and kept quiet.

"Take back your evidence. Say it was all wrong, whatever you have to do." Pierce snarled. Loker bowed his head as he tried to think of a quick strategy. Reynolds was unhappy with how things were unfolding, but he didn't have much control over what Lightman's team said. Eli was most likely getting himself into trouble and Ben didn't want to have more problems on his shoulders.

"I...I can't do that, Pierce." Loker confessed, lifting his head again to face the phone. Everyone stared at him in shock, stunned by what just came out of his mouth.

"What does that mean, you can't do it?" Pierce inquired angrily, his voice slightly raised in volume. Gillian stiffened at the harsh tone, watching Loker with anxious eyes.

"I believe your brother to be guilty of the crimes accused: murder and burglary." Eli stated boldly.

"I'll give you time to think about it, then I'll give you another ring." _Click_. Eli let out a long sigh, his face practically going green as the stress caught up with him.

"That was risky, Eli." Foster confronted, afraid that her employee didn't quite understand what he had just done.

"I know, I know..." he mumbled. "But...from how he reacts to this, we can know a little bit about how his brain works." He took a deep breath as his features faded from green to white. "We can't see his face, so we'll have to get to know his character by other means." Eli collapsed into a chair, inhaling deeply to calm his twisted insides.

"My understanding is that he's a violent person." Gillian explained with a displeased countenance. "What if he decides he wants to hurt you too?" Foster didn't like the idea of another one of her work family getting caught in the chaotic situation.

"Let's talk to Tate." Ria muttered bitterly as she walked out of the office.

* * *

"Mr. Tate, what is your brother, Pierce, capable of?" Ria asked the shifty man as they sat in the cube.

"Oh, Pierce isn't a bad guy, he's done nothing wrong." Jack answered. Eli covered his mouth to muffle the small laugh that bubbled from his throat.

"I know you're lying, Jack, and I don't even have to look at your face to know it." she said menacingly. His guise set into hatred as Torres continued to glare at him. He leaned in closer, intent with keeping their staring contest going.

Loker observed Ria's interrogation as he monitored various things on the computers and screens around him. He was tired, but not tired enough to take a break. Eli had asked the secretary's assistant if she could make him coffee, even though he wasn't so big on the caffeinated beverage. He'd asked her nicely, using the words 'pretty please' and then making sure it wasn't too much trouble for her. She seemed fine with it, so he shrugged off the guilt and focused on the task at hand. The door creaked open just as Ria and Jack started their stare off and Loker was overjoyed to see the secretary's assistant holding a mug of coffee.

"Ah, thank you, thank you, thank you..." he told her happily, receiving it with both hands. "You make me want to suddenly hug a litter of puppies." She grinned awkwardly, unsure how to take his comment.

"Um...thanks?" she finally returned. With a small sweep of her fingers, she brushed the blonde strands from her face and exited the observation room. Eli took a sip of his coffee, but it wasn't good enough to make him like coffee and it wasn't bad enough for him to cringe. She'd done perfect, and now he would enjoy the liquid energy while he watched Torres beat up her opponent through a simple glare.

"So, you won't tell me what your big brother's done?" Ria asked, still gazing at Jack without blinking. "Is he a murderer, like you?" Jack's nostrils flared as his brow stitched together in irritation. "Did I insult you?"

"My brother is _not_ a murderer and neither am I!" he protested.

"He's lying..." Eli said under his breath, taking another sip of his coffee.

* * *

"I can see why you work so well with your team, Dr. Lightman." Pierce explained, walking slowly across the warehouse. "They're as stubborn as you are." With a simple whistle and a hand gesture, Mike was banished back to guard duty.

"What do you mean?" Cal asked, curious as to which person stood up to Pierce.

"Some young guy actually admitted to being a part of my brother's case. Then, I tell him what he should do, and he refuses to do it! Of course, I'm giving him time to think about it as well as a little...incentive." Cal raised his eyebrows at the last word, afraid of what it could mean. He might've been talking about Loker, but he couldn't be sure.

"What exactly do you mean by 'incentive'?" Lightman inquired, furrowing his eyebrows to give the impression he was confused and serious. What had Loker gotten himself into now? Cal decided that if he should survive this captivity, he would somehow put Loker _below_ an unpaid internship. Maybe he could somehow make Eli pay out of his own pocket just to work at The Lightman Group.

"They'll all figure it out in, say...a half an hour? I'm sure Dr. Foster will tell you all about it _if_ you get back."

"She is one beautiful woman." Dan chuckled. Cal allowed a look of disgust on his face and frowned at the fact that his enemy was speaking of her that way.

"Gillian's definitely out of your league." Cal declared, wiping the smile off Dan's face and replacing it with contempt. "She doesn't go for repulsive men." Dan didn't pause before he punched Cal hard across the face.

"Agh..." Lightman moaned. The rusty flavor of blood touched the tip of his tongue, earning a cringe from his guise. The one time he actually used Loker's 'radical honesty' and he got punched in the face. He felt like he had just been hit in the face with a brick.

"I bet you can't wait to hear what's happened to your team member."

* * *

_Author's Note: Did you like it? The next chapter ought to be better...I hope. :) Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: Wow! I'm so proud of myself; I'm pumping out chapters like crazy! I guess Thanksgiving Break is giving me this rare opportunity. :) Thank you everybody for your support, reviews and motivating threats (really, they're motivating)! :D_

* * *

**5. Incentive**

"This is no good: Tate won't give us anything to work with." Ria sighed.

"Yeah, but I don't think he's aware of what crime Pierce is currently doing." Eli concluded, massaging his forehead. "If Pierce _had_ told him, he'd know he wouldn't have to lie to us." Ria watched her partner as she became distracted by his continual movement.

"Do you have a headache or something?" she blurted, getting annoyed with the fact he kept rubbing his head.

"I...I think I'm coming down with something." Eli muttered, squeezing his eyes shut. He wiped sweat from his face with a shaky hand and took a few deep breaths. Torres studied Loker for awhile, trying to understand what could possible be afflicting him.

"I'll...I'll be right back." he mumbled, getting up quickly and stumbling towards the door of the observation room. Ria stood up, ready to offer him help, but he was out the door before she could even call out to him. He walked quickly, though using the support of the wall, to reach the bathroom. Eli was nauseas, and he knew it wasn't just because of the abduction. Whatever he had, the symptoms were developing rapidly and it frightened him. Eli quickly walked into the bathroom, his core churning uncomfortably and sweat beading his face. It wasn't the flu; he had a weird sensation in his face that felt like tiny needles pricking the skin. Whatever he had wasn't normal.

* * *

"There's something wrong with Loker." Ria announced as the team met in Gillian's office. Eli was still missing and it troubled Ria greatly.

"Where is he?" Foster asked, opening her door and taking a peek outside.

"He said he felt like he was getting sick," Torres answered. "then he left in a hurry and he never came back." Ben exhaled in an irritated fashion. His arms were crossed and he looked impatient with the whole ordeal.

"He's probably in the bathroom." he grumbled. "I'll go check on him." Ben left the two women gazing after him, doing his usual tough swagger down the hall. He entered the restroom with an annoyed expression, but didn't see Eli right away.

"Loker?" he called, then paused to listen for a moment. He heard labored breathing and continued to investigate by pushing open each stall door with a scowl, displeased with his task. When Reynolds pushed open the last one, he found Loker sitting on the bathroom floor.

Eli was leaning against the stall wall, wrapping his arms around his legs and pushing his forehead against his knees. From what Ben could see, he was sweating profusely and his eyes were shut tightly.

"Loker?" Reynolds repeated, crouching down to Eli's level.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, Reynolds." Eli replied quietly, his voice rough and sickly sounding.

"Can you get up?" Ben asked, trying to be more sympathetic, but finding it hard. Eli shook his head.

"I can hardly sit up right now." he admitted, wincing as he tightened his grip around his legs. Ben took out his cell phone, calling Foster as swiftly as he could. He waited through a couple rings before Gillian answered.

"You better get down here right now." Ben suggested seriously. There was a quick agreement on the other end and he shut his phone closed. Reynolds stared at Eli, unsure of how he should proceed.

"Foster and Torres are coming." he informed Loker. Eli nodded softly as he cringed into a tighter ball. Ben wasn't the compassionate type, so all he was willing to do was stare at Eli to make sure he didn't suddenly drop dead.

It didn't take long until they heard the quick shuffle of heels echoing around the bathroom. Gillian was first to reach the area and Ben immediately got out of the way to allow her room. She crouched down to see Eli as Torres stood worriedly behind her.

"Are you okay, Eli?" Foster asked gently.

"I...don't know..." he answered, pain coming out thickly in his voice.

"Are you hurting?" she inquired as she checked him over.

"My head...and my stomach..." he answered. "I'm nauseas and...I can't...move..."

"Let me see your face." Gillian ordered. Loker slowly lifted his head and Foster took his chin in her hand. His brow was stitched together painfully and his eyes were pleading for relief. Sweat coated his skin and his lips were a tint of blue.

"We need to get him to the hospital." Gillain told Ben quickly. Loker continued to breathe heavily as he glanced between his three teammates.

This illness was no accident.

* * *

Cal was thinking hard about tripping Pierce if there was the chance he came near enough. Heaven knows he deserved it and Cal was starting to worry about his team. Incentive? What's that supposed to mean? He wanted answers.

Pierce paused in his pacing as a phone rang out. He grinned mischievously and pulled out the cell to answer it. There had been another phone call a few hours before, but Cal could tell it wasn't his team and he didn't suspect this one to be either.

"So, you finally got up the courage to call me." Pierce said into the receiver. Lightman could hear a muffled voice on the other end, talking quickly and using a high pitch. Amid the talking, Pierce put the call on speaker phone, allowing Cal to listen in.

"—give him? You had no right to do that to Loker!" Gillian's voice scolded. Loker. So it had been Eli. Gil's words weren't anymore comforting to Cal and her tone of voice caused his heart to skip a beat. What had they done to Loker?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that; could you say it again?" Pierce taunted. There was a growl from the other end.

"What did you give him, Pierce?" Foster interrogated.

"Why? What's the matter with him?" Pierce asked, though he knew the answer.

"He's in the hospital! Did you poison him?"

"What makes you say that?" Pierce chuckled, clearly enjoying the cruelty.

"He can hardly breathe and his lips are _blue_!" Foster replied angrily. Cal looked between Pierce and the phone uneasily, thinking about his fallen employee. Poisoned? Simply because he didn't want to do what he was asked? Couldn't Pierce just take out his frustration with Cal? He didn't need to bring his team into this...

"You better watch your people." Pierce threatened. "Looks like you've got somebody in your ranks trying to kill other employees." Gillian gasped as she realized what Pierce meant. He had an inside person; they were all at risk.

"Gil, love, do what he says." Cal pleaded while he had the chance.

"Cal?" she asked, her voice suddenly soft. Pierce smirked at their vocal reunion.

"He's a lunatic, love." Lightman thought his next comment through, preparing himself for the consequence. "He's got a whole abandoned warehouse to himself." Pierce shot an infuriated look at Cal and clicked the phone off immediately.

"What kind of idiot do you think I am?"

* * *

"Did any of you see what he's eaten today?" the doctor asked the team. Gillian was staring off into space as she was still getting over the last phone call.

"He hasn't really eaten much of anything." Ria explained. "We were busy on a case. I only saw him drink coffee to keep him awake."

"Is there any way we could get a sample of it?" the doctor inquired, scribbling down something on piece of paper.

"Uh...yeah, the mug is still sitting in the observation room." Ria told her.

"Good, I'll send some people down there to pick it up."

"Why do you need his coffee cup?" Ben questioned with a frown.

"Well...based on the symptoms already developed, we suspect that your friend was poisoned by tetradotoxin. It's a toxin that is carried by several species of fish, namely the puffer fish. But, if he hasn't eaten anything logical that carries tetradotoxin, I'm not sure how he could have possibly ingested it." The doctor avoided their eyes as the team started to understand what the doctor was inferring.

"I knew it." Gillian muttered. "Pierce has somebody in our faculty." Reynolds suddenly looked alarmed by her comment and glanced at the doctor.

"So, now he can't get to us even when we aren't aware of it?" he inquired, his nostrils doing their habit of flaring.

"Looks like it..." Foster answered sadly. She turned to the doctor with a polite smile. "We have to get back to work, but, please, keep us updated on his condition." The medical expert nodded and the team left with hunched shoulders and lumps in their throats. Ria's mind kept flashing back to watching a suffering Eli, sitting on the bathroom floor in fear and pain. She didn't allow herself to imagine what kind of fire and brimstone Lightman was experiencing. Pierce was a ruthless criminal and she wasn't going to let it get to her.

"How many warehouses are close by?" Gillian asked Reynolds as they trotted to their cars.

"Pft, not a couple, if that's what you're thinking." Ben answered. "Why?"

"Cal hinted over the phone that Pierce was keeping him in an abandoned warehouse." she relayed hurriedly, pulling out her keys.

"I'll have some of my boys search for any warehouses that haven't had any recent activity." he promised and swerved away from Gillian and Ria to get in his own vehicle.

"A warehouse?" Ria whispered. "How did they let him get away with giving you that information?"

"They didn't." Gillian responded grimly.

* * *

"Agh! Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" Cal begged as his body slumped wearily in the chair. A nasty gash was now cut across his collar bone and blood was dribbling down his shirt. Patches of black clouded his vision, making him blink harshly to try and get rid of the obstruction. Another couple of cuts were randomly placed on his left bicep, making relaxation his one allowed pain killer. Of course, it still stung horribly, even when he tried not to stress the muscles that accommodated his injuries. He just wanted all this to be over, and the only way to quicken the process would be to give Gillian obvious hints whenever he could. With Loker in the hospital, he was afraid how long Pierce would wait until he took down another member of his team. Or maybe even... Emily. He hoped Pierce didn't know about her, he _prayed_ he didn't know about her. But, if he truly had someone among Cal's employees, there was a good chance Pierce already had eyes on his daughter.

"If you keep trying to give away _my_ valuable information, I'll send you back to work in a body bag." Pierce threatened. With a few well-placed curses, he stormed out of the warehouse, a silent Dan following behind him. Cal envisioned Dan to be a trained pit bull, trailing behind his master faithfully. Mike didn't need an invitation to let himself into the warehouse.

"Dr. Lightman?" he said with concern, jogging to the bleeding victim. He examined the new wounds on Cal and sorrow developed on his guise. "I only have one bandana left..." he mumbled, untying the bandana on his other wrist. He wrapped the cloth around Cal's arm carefully, making Lightman grimace as pressure was applied.

"Oi, kid." Cal addressed, sucking air in sharply as Mike finished tying the bandana.

"Yeah?"

"If ever get out of this...situation and your brother is arrested along with his pal, I'll put a good word out there for you." Cal promised, catching Mike's attention. "Your brother got you in this mess, and I'll get you back out." Mike stared at him for a long time.

"Why would you do that for me?"

"I think you should have another chance." Cal confessed. Mike gazed at the crimson-stained concrete as he contemplated Cal's offer. He had another chance, and he was about take it.

* * *

_Author's Note: *Sigh* Phew, this is fun to write. :) Remember, I love reviews!_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: Woah, guys, I'm on a flippin' writing rampage here. I suppose that's great for readers because I know how it feels to read something and they haven't updated it for ages... But, do you know what that means? I've been sitting here all day writing and quenching your thirst for a story to read! I really hope you guys are enjoying this story so far, I mean it! Well, read on! Please, reviews are always welcomed with open arms. :)_

* * *

**6. Chaos**

_The unsuspecting Dr. Lightman continued talking on his cell phone as a car screeched to a stop behind him. There was hardly anytime for him to turn around before he was grabbed from behind. He was forced to inhale a fume from a white cloth, sending him into unconsciousness. Cal was carelessly tossed into the van by men all dressed in black with covered faces; the men looked back as they saw Emily staring at them with wide eyes. One slid a gun from his waistband and pointed it in her direction, clicking back the hammer of the gun. His index finger tugged at the trigger and—_

"Agh!" Emily screamed, sitting up on the couch. She breathed heavily as she felt her abdomen for any bullet holes. A sigh escaped her lips: it was only a bad dream. Unfortunately, it was a very real nightmare and some of the worst of it had already happened. She stared longingly at the empty desk where her father had sat several times before. Emily just wanted him back, preferably alive.

She wandered from Dr. Lightman's office in search of Gillian, just to get an update on their progress. Emily found Foster rushing down the hall, looking overwhelmed and tired.

"Gillian!" Emily called, setting a hand on Foster's shoulder. "What's going on?" Reynolds and Torres made their way to Foster, serious looks on their faces. "Where's Eli?" Gillian looked at her with a sorrowful expression, causing Emily to gasp in fear.

"Somebody poisoned him." she explained, not daring to tell the young teen that the perpetrator for the crime was somewhere in the workplace.

"Yeah, the hospital just called and said it's possible that Loker will go into respiratory failure." Torres said quickly, stressed by the news.

"What?" Emily inquired. "Is he going to die?" Ria stayed silent, looking to Foster with a questioning expression. Gillian gave her a nod and Ria took a deep breath before continuing her explanation.

"If he survives in the next twenty-four hours, he'll recover without any problems." Torres informed the group. "But, the doctors think that he's been given a high enough dose that he won't make it if he's left alone. They're doing what they can, but they can't be sure if it'll be enough." Emily was devastated by the new information. Eli had always been nice to her and he always had a cheery sparkle in his eyes. To imagine him without it made her skin crawl.

"Why was he poisoned? What did he do?" she inquired quietly, tears settling on her eyelids.

"He stood up to the bad guy." Reynolds answered as he stared off into space. The team remained silent as if they were mourning the possible loss of Eli Loker.

The ring tone of the dreaded phone shattered the quiet of the moment and Gillian jumped to answer it.

"Hello?" she said, keeping the call to herself for the moment. Emily didn't need to know the criminal was knifing Cal.

"Get rid of the evidence against my brother, or Lightman never leaves this warehouse alive." Pierce warned, hanging up as soon as the last word left his mouth. Foster stood stunned, unsure of how to react.

He was telling the truth.

* * *

"What's got you all worked up?" Cal mumbled, slurring his words and trying to keep himself from passing out.

"What did you say to Mike?" Pierce snarled, holding the knife up threateningly.

"Nothing, I swear!" Lightman answered, working hard to hold his head up high. He tried hard not to smirk. Cal was telling the truth, it was Pierce who was taking the wrong angle to the interrogation.

"What are you looking at?" Cal growled to Dan who continued to glare at him with a gun in his hands.

"Tell me!" Pierce demanded, digging the dagger into Cal's other leg. Cal shouted in pain, then laughed as he huffed and puffed. "What? Why are you laughing?"

"You need to look at the situation differently." he explained between breaths. "It's not what I told him, it's what he told me." Dan and Pierce flashed a look of confusion and anger.

"What did he tell you?" Pierce ordered, the knife raised again.

"He doesn't like how you do things..." Cal informed him, blinking harshly as he tried to stop the black patches in his sight from widening. "He told me he was going to my company...and he was going to tell them _everything_." Pierce suddenly went pale and glanced fearfully at Dan.

"We've got to get out of here."

* * *

"Maybe we should just do what he says." Ria sighed, finding no other way around their problem.

"No!" Emily protested. She had pushed the three adults to tell her everything that had happened while she was asleep, and she was as much a part of the investigation as any of them. "Loker wouldn't do it, even though he knew something might happen to him! His suffering would all be in vain!"

"But your father might die, Emily." Foster explained, grimacing at the sound of the cold, hard truth.

"This is too much for us to try and work around." Reynolds agreed. "We'll have to give in to his demands and find dirt on Tate some other way."

"Did you get Pierce's info?" Ria asked, hoping that maybe they could find some kind of break through.

"Yeah, but he no longer lives at the address in his records. He has a criminal record that even Santa's list would envy." Reynolds replied.

"I know where he is."

Everyone turned around to find a young teen boy, trying to catch his breath.

"This boy says he's Pierce's brother?" the secretary said questioningly. Of course, she didn't know what he was talking about because Foster and the rest of the team were keeping the details to themselves.

"Thank you." Gillian told the secretary, dismissing her. Mike took a few steps into the office, his breathing shaky and his guise showing signs of nervousness.

"Who are you?" Reynolds inquired, turning to face the boy.

"Michael Tate, sir." the teen answered. "Pierce and Jack are my brothers...sir."

"Quit calling me 'sir'!" Ben barked, getting annoyed. "Where's Lightman?"

"If we get in the car right now, we can be there in fifteen." Michael replied frantically.

"How did you get here?" Foster asked, curiosity churning in her eyes from this new subject.

"I rode my bike, ma'am." he told her truthfully. "Dr. Lightman's in trouble."

"Let's leave..._now_!" Reynolds commanded, heading out of the office. He grabbed Michael by the collar and dragged him with him while making a phone call for back up. Ria, Emily and Gillian followed close behind.

"You shouldn't come, Emily." Gillian advised, worried about her well-being.

"My father is out in a warehouse somewhere, bleeding and you expect me to stay _here_! No way." she shot back, continuing to trail behind Ben and Michael.

Ben thrust Michael in the front seat of his black SUV and Emily chose to ride along in the back. Gillian and Torres took a separate vehicle, but were prepared to follow Reynolds closely.

"You better be telling the truth." Ben growled, roughly putting his car in drive and squealing out of the parking garage. Gillian kept up to him without difficulty, though there was much less drama from her.

"Turn right here." Michael advised.

* * *

"It's too bad we can't take you with." Pierce told Lightman sourly.

"Oi, I'm sorry 'bout your brothers." Cal said, trying to look realistically apologetic.

"Shut up." Dan ordered gruffly.

"It was nice knowing you." Pierce muttered, a smirk breaking his bitter expression as the knife shimmered in his hand.

* * *

"Hurry!" Michael shouted as he was tossed back in forth in his seat from Ben's driving. "Right here, now left! Go, go, go!" Emily let out a small scream as she was pressed against the car door.

"Now where?" Reynolds demanded, the adrenaline pumping in his veins. A couple of similar black SUVs had pulled behind Ben during his drive, following him to the area Michael indicated. It was now dark outside, which made driving a bit rough, but Reynolds still managed.

"Straight! Oh, now turn right! It's that one!" Michael yelled, pointing out the windshield. "_That_ one!" Ben screeched his car to a stop in front of the warehouse, quickly turning off the engine, but keeping the headlights on, and jumping out of the car.

"Stay in the car!" he bellowed as he sighted a couple of men leaving the warehouse. Ben whipped out his gun, as did all the other FBI agents that were now gathered around the SUVs.

"Freeze!" several of them ordered. The two men stopped abruptly, looking stunned by the cavalry before them. Torres and Foster hid behind their respective car doors, waiting impatiently for the ordeal to be over.

"Put your gun on the ground!" Ben demanded of the scruffier, more muscled man of the two. The man hesitated for a moment, then set the weapon carefully on the ground and put his hands up. His partner also raised his arms in surrender, now staring angrily at his younger brother hid in the SUV.

Reynolds ran forward and searched the two criminals, tossing out a bloodied knife and grabbing a handgun from the thinner man.

"Get these boys handcuffed!" Ben shouted to the other agents, which came forward and took the two into custody. Ria and Gillian sighed in relief, jogging to the warehouse along with Michael and Emily. Reynolds signaled for them to stay while he investigated the inside. He opened the door a crack, the hinges squeaking in protest, then took a few slow steps into the dark inside. His hands felt the wall for a light switch and flicked it on, cringing from what he saw.

"Lightman!" he shouted, running further into the warehouse, a trail of concerned friends behind him.

"Torres, call an ambulance!" Gillian screamed frantically as she and Ben surveyed the damage.

Cal was still strapped to the metal chair, both legs bloody with a gash across his upper chest. Blood soaked his shirt where a brand new wound was inflicted to his right abdomen. Cal was out cold and not responding to any of the noises around him.

"His pulse is faint." Reynolds said quickly, soon applying pressure to the wound in Dr. Lightman's abdomen. Michael jumped to help, doing whatever Ben told him to with undivided attention. Emily stood a few feet away, staring with eyes like saucers.

The ambulance came quickly and the paramedics rushed in to take over medical procedure. Cal was immediately cut from the chair and rushed into the ambulance without any hesitation. Emily followed behind the medics with Gillian keeping a hand on her shoulder.

"Go with them." Foster urged her, pushing Emily gently towards the ambulance. With a slow nod, she obeyed and climbed in the back of the vehicle, taking her father's hand in hers. Gillian watched as the doors were shut and the ambulance pulled away with flashing lights. Worried tears found their way down her cheeks. There went another one of her work family, going to the hospital. She didn't even know if either one of them would make it through the night alive. All she could do was wait...

* * *

Emily listened to the steady beat of the heart rate monitor, her breathing short and shallow as worry enveloped her. The paramedics were working hard to at least slow the bleeding, talking frantically to each other as they did so. The air was hectic in the back of the ambulance, but everything seemed to be moving in slow motion to Emily. She heard nothing around her as she focused on the too serene face of her dad; all she could think about were all those smiles she remembered and the frowns when she'd done something wrong. She missed his "'ello, love" and random British words, and she even dared to say she missed how he pestered her dates and guy friends. Tears dripped down her face silently and then...the most dreaded sound reached her ears:

The continual beep of the heart monitor.

* * *

_Author's Note: Agh! Again, I hoped you enjoyed the added chapter! Reviews are very much appreciated._


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: Okay, another chapter. I hope it's to your liking. :) Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Thank you for all your lovely reviews and encouragement. :D_

* * *

**7. Healing**

There was an explosion of talking and action as Emily came back to reality, watching the paramedics work all their tricks to bring back the dead.

"Clear!" she heard them shout and quickly withdrew her hand as she persisted to stare at his face. A jolt ran through Cal's body, and then he was still. _Too_ still.

"Clear!" the one medic repeated. This time, Emily shut her eyes so she didn't have to watch. She didn't want that sight tattooed into her mind. Really, seeing him so bloody wasn't something she wanted to remember, but she didn't want to think back and realize she wasn't there for him through it all.

"Don't you _dare_ die on me." she whispered, crossing her fingers.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Emily exhaled as tears of joy dribbled down her cheeks. He was alive. At least, for now.

* * *

Gillian was going faster than she had ever remembered driving. She hid behind Ben's flashing lights to prevent her from getting pulled over. Torres said nothing as she gripped to the seat with a look of pure concentration stinging her face muscles. Both Gillian and Ria were intent on getting to the hospital only seconds after the ambulance, and neither one of them cared how reckless the driving had to be to get there. Foster knew how important it was for Emily to be with Lightman, but she longed to the one next to his side, hoping he would stay alive. When she'd get to the hospital, there was no way she could see him unless he made it out of surgery. Then, there was Eli.

Ria couldn't help but think about Loker pushing through the worst of his condition while her mentor was fighting for his life in some other area of the hospital.

This case ended in disaster, but if it wasn't for Mike, things would have resulted in far worse. They had arrested Pierce and his partner, Dan, but there was still the issue of the inside job. Who could it be? Would they stick around long enough to be caught? Ria needed to ask Loker who he thought it was, but he was probably unable to answer right now. She didn't bother explaining to the team what the doctor had told her over the phone merely a few hours ago. Torres wasn't afraid to ask questions about what would happen to Loker, so she took the liberty of doing so when the doctor called. Foster and Emily were already stressed with what was threatening Lightman's life, so she kept the information from them on purpose. First, Eli would experience nausea, a headache and abdominal pain; then he would have difficulty breathing; and, finally, paralysis. Most died from respiratory failure in a case like Eli's, but the doctor promised to do what she could for her partner. What if what she could do wasn't enough?

Eli didn't allow her to confess to Pierce her involvement in Tate's investigation because he was trying to protect her. Ria was grateful and, yet, regretful. Eli was on the edge of life and death and she was up and about, perfectly healthy. Then again, she couldn't try to avenge him and Lightman if she was in the hospital. She owed him something and she was definitely going to follow through.

Gillian quickly swerved into the hospital parking, screeching into the closest spot available. Ben did the same and everyone jumped out of the cars, jogging to the emergency room. As soon as they entered the waiting room, Emily stood up, her face tightened with emotion.

"How is he?" Gillian gasped, catching her breath from her small burst of exercise.

"Oh, Gillian..." Emily squeaked, moving in for an immediate hug. Dread gripped the team as Foster embraced the young teen. "It was so scary..."

"What was, Emily? Is he okay?" Gillian asked frantically.

"He's okay now." Emily admitted, her voice muffled as she buried her head into Foster's shoulder. "Dad flat-lined for awhile and I was so scared..." Everyone's breath stuck in their chest as they comprehended the near death experience of their friend and boss. "He's in surgery now..." Gillian hugged Emily tighter, suddenly needing the comfort herself. She was getting sick of waiting for everything: Loker, the phone calls and now Cal. All she could do was wait and her patience was running thin.

They all had to just wait.

* * *

The team sat in the waiting room, hoping for news on both Cal and Eli. They had been waiting all night, hardly being able to catch a single minute of shut eye. It took Foster a good hour to calm Emily down and then she had to persistently comfort other members of the group, including the quiet Mike. He felt guilty about what happened to both Loker and Lightman and Foster tried her best to convince him it wasn't his fault. But, for the past few hours, no one had breathed a word, concentrating on their worry and terror for the victims of Pierce's sadistic ideas.

As soon as the surgeon in blue scrubs came into the waiting room, the group stood up, eager to hear the news. The man was grinning from ear to ear, so they suspected that nothing had gone terribly wrong.

"You must be here for Mr. Lightman." the surgeon chuckled as they gazed at him inquiringly. "He's going to be just fine. We were able to close up the injuries without any problems and we got a few blood transfusions ready for him. He's going to pull through." There was one, huge sigh of relief from the team and a couple people collapsed back into a chair. One man saved, one more to go.

"Have you heard any news on Eli Loker?" Gillian inquired of the good doctor, her eyes pleading for answers.

"I'm afraid I don't have that information, but I'll be sure to get someone out here to let you know what's going on." he assured her with a nod.

"Thank you." she replied and the surgeon left them to smile and frown at the same time. Their burden was split in half, but stress still tugged on their frayed emotions. It hadn't quite been twenty-four hours since Loker had started showing symptoms and they hadn't heard any word of his condition since the evening before.

"I'm going to go visit Loker." Ria decided, since she no longer had to wait for the report on Cal's condition. No one responded, still trying to recover from the overwhelming shift of being depressed to being overjoyed. Torres left without bothering to wait for anyone else, finding the sudden movement relaxing to her worry-fried brain. She leaned on a nurse's desk with a smile on her face.

"Can you tell me where Eli Loker's room is, please?" she inquired politely.

"Yes, just let me look it up." the nurse replied, quickly typing on her computer. "How do you spell his last name?"

"L, O, K, E, R." Ria answered.

"Okay, just a sec." the woman responded, clicking more of the keys. Ria wrote on her hand what room the nurse relayed to her and quickly returned to her quest to visit Loker. She followed the signs and watched the room numbers until she finally came to the one she sought for. With a quiet knock, she entered into the room, slowly walking in just in case he was sleeping.

"Oh...Torres..." he mumbled, his eyes barely open. "...Did they find Lightman?"

"Yeah." she replied, pulling up a chair next to him. She examined the sickly Eli, finding his skin to be drained of color and sweaty and she felt sorry that he had to be conscious through the worst of the poisoning. His breathing was shaky and shallow and he hardly moved at all except for his eyes.

"Is he okay?" he whispered.

"He's going to be fine." she sighed. "Actually, he almost died in the ambulance. At least, that's what Emily told me." Eli looked alarmed and Ria was quick to explain further. "Oh, don't worry about it. He's okay now, so all you should be concerned about is getting better." she urged with a smile. He took a moment to breathe a little and Ria finally built up the courage to ask him the question nagging at her mind.

"How bad did your symptoms get?" she questioned. "Were you scared?"

"Ah, geez..." he said softly, a weak smile forming on his lips. "I didn't know what suffocating was until yesterday. Plus, they made me drink this charcoal crap to see if it'll soak up some of the poison...that was disgusting." Torres laughed as he grinned. "I am _never_ drinking coffee again."

"Why is that?" Ria inquired.

"I didn't eat anything yesterday; I just drank a cup of coffee and look where I ended up." he answered in a tired voice. Loker looked around his hospital room, smirking a little. "Maybe it's a sign I should turn to energy drinks."

"Or caffeine pills." Torres suggested. "They might not be as easy to slip poison into." Eli chuckled quietly, the cheery sparkle faintly showing in his eyes.

"Who made the coffee for you?" Torres asked, trying to subtly get the answer out of him.

"Um...the secretary's assistant." Eli answered slowly. Ria memorized the face and thought about how to approach the situation. The two were quiet as Eli continued to catch up on his breathing. It was odd that he didn't notice what Torres was getting at, but maybe he was too tired and too ill to really understand what she was saying.

"Hey..." Gillian greeted as she crept through the door. "The doctor tells me you're going to be okay."

"Yeah...I'll live." Loker croaked. "How's Dr. Lightman?"

"Alive and well." Foster said happily, placing a chair next to Ria. "He had a lot of blood loss, but he made it out of surgery just fine. They think he'll be awake in a day or two."

"Wow." Eli replied tiredly, his eyelids getting heavy.

"You and him will be back at The Lightman Group in no time." she crooned, sending Eli into a fit of sleep. She was a little disappointed that her visit was so short, but she knew the importance of Eli getting rest, so she waved it from her mind. Ria and Gillian watched him slumber peacefully for a few minutes, and then finally decided to return to the waiting room, their minds eased from Loker's increasing health.

The hospital staff wouldn't allow the team to see Cal for a few hours, at least. They first wanted to make sure there were no complications before they let the team visit in pairs. Most volunteered their time to just wait around, since they believed there was nothing more important for them to do.

"I have...something I really need to do." Torres told Gillian, who nodded, signaling she could leave.

"Use my car." she allowed, as Torres didn't have a vehicle at the hospital. "You better get the creep that put Eli in the hospital." Gillian smirked wearily as she handed Ria the keys.

"They won't even know what hit 'em." Torres promised just before she rushed out of the hospital.

The secretary's assistant: she needed to talk to her...pronto.

* * *

_Author's Note: Phew...Remember to send reviews!_


	8. Chapter 8

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to._**

_Author's Note: The story is really slowing down and, sadly, it is drawing to an end... It was a lot of fun while it lasted. :) Reviews, please!_

* * *

**8. The Last Bang**

Ria parked the car carefully in the parking garage and took a deep breath to prepare herself. It wasn't unusual for her to pursue a task by herself, since she was very independent, but this one made her nervous and she didn't know why. She turned off the engine and headed towards The Lightman Group. As she walked, she ruffled her hair a little and straightened her clothes to improve her appearance. Her coworkers might notice she was wearing the same outfit as the day before, but there really wasn't any way to avoid it.

"Oh, good morning, Miss Torres." the secretary greeted, glancing up from her work.

"Where's your assistant?" Ria inquired quickly, glaring at the poor woman.

"Uh...in the break room." the secretary responded and Ria was off on her hunt again.

She found the blonde assistant sipping a cup of coffee and putting her lunch in the fridge. Immediately, she looked up when Torres entered the room, though she didn't think much of the situation. Ria shut the door behind her and the young woman showed signs of nervousness.

"Ria, isn't it?" she asked, setting her coffee on the lone table.

"And you're Lindsey." Ria confirmed, looking as if she was a cat about to pounce a mouse. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" Lindsey questioned. "Is this about eating half of Sarah's sandwich? Because she said I could."

"Why did you poison Loker's coffee?"

"Loker...You mean, Eli? Why would I poison his coffee?" she gasped, looking offended. "I mean, I did make his coffee but I didn't put _anything_ in it that would poison him!" Ria edged forward, menacingly examining her subject.

"So, you're telling me you had nothing to do with the poisoning?"

"No, I swear!" Lindsey answered. Ria stared intently at her face, looking for signs of lying, but could find none. With an irritated sigh, she lightened her approach on the assistant. Lindsey looked relieved to see Torres back down and slumped for a moment.

"Okay, I believe you." Ria admitted. "But that still leaves the question of who poisoned Loker's coffee." Often, Torres thought aloud, but it usually had done nothing more that state the obvious. This time, some good came out of her strange habit.

"Oh my gosh..." Lindsey muttered, her eyes growing wide. "I think I know who did it."

* * *

Ria made a straight beeline towards her target: a stunning brunette slowly walking down the hall. The suspect was gazing at a report and didn't even notice as Torres came right up to her and grasped her arm tightly.

"_You_ did it. _You_ poisoned Loker." she accused quietly as the woman's head shot up to look at her.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." the woman stuttered, telltale signs running across her astonished face.

"Don't lie to me, Theresa." Ria growled as Lindsey inched towards the pair.

"I _saw_ you come out of the break room, Theresa; I _know _you did it!" Lindsey hissed. "I was only gone for a couple of seconds and you were the only other person inside the break room then!" Theresa shot a look of contempt at both of her enemies and her hand reached quickly into her purse. Before either Lindsey or Ria understood what was happening, Theresa had Torres's neck locked in her arm with a thin knife across her neck.

"Nobody move!" Theresa shouted, disdain and determination brushing over her face. Lindsey stumbled backwards, scared out of her mind. "If I see any cops, I'll slit her throat!" Theresa looked around the workplace as employees were frantically hiding behind tables, desks and other various pieces of furniture. Several fearful screams sounded as they scrambled into already crammed spaces. Nobody dared to pull out their cell phone, afraid Theresa would see the screen light flash across a wall or some other surface.

"Stupid people." Theresa chuckled quietly. "I don't have a gun, just a knife and it's already next to your throat." Ria also thought it strange that everybody suddenly concealed themselves when it wasn't their lives being threatened. Lindsey was one of the few to stay out in the open, staring at the two other women with eyes like saucers. Torres made a few choking sounds as Theresa tightened her grip on her neck, pressing the knife a little harder on the fragile skin.

"Just...tell me why...why are you working with Pierce...?" Ria gasped, holding onto Theresa's arm in a sad attempt to pull it away.

"Maybe I just didn't like Loker." she snarled. "He...smiles too much." Torres frowned at the answer, still attempting to tug at the arm threatening her life.

"Tell me, what wouldn't you do for the one you love?" Theresa muttered into her ear, as if Ria would understand.

"I...wouldn't try...to kill somebody...for him..." Ria answered in a raspy voice.

"Oh, but Pierce is my soul mate." Theresa sighed happily. It was obvious that something just wasn't right in her head and Torres thought forlornly of her poor chances of living. "I told him I'd help him, but I _won't_ let us get separated." Again, Theresa started to tense her choking hold and Ria began to wheeze.

"I hate your team." Theresa growled.

* * *

Ben parked his black SUV between two cars, accomplishing a snug fit. He'd left Mike at the hospital, trusting he wouldn't run and not really caring if he did. Mike was a big help to the case and Ben was very grateful. Reynolds'd decided to go back to The Lightman Group to see if Torres needed any help, even though he highly doubted it. Ria could usually take care of herself, even though the fact of it damaged his masculine ego.

He was getting closer to the front doors when his phone rang unexpectedly. At first, he thought it was Gillian, especially with what had been going on in the past few days. But, the number was one he didn't recognize. He almost ignored it, then decided to answer it last minute.

"Reynolds." he said, a sigh itching to roll out of his lungs.

"Oh, Mr. Reynolds!" whispered a female voice. "It's the secretary at The Lightman Group! There's a bit problem here, but I don't know what to do!"

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"One of our own employees—Theresa, I think—is holding Miss Torres with a knife to her throat" she explained quietly, though quickly. "I was in Dr. Lightman's office, just tidying it up when it started. I think you might want to get down here pretty quick!"

"I'm already close." he informed her, edging towards the front glass doors. "Where is she?"

"She's in the middle of the place." the secretary replied, sounding exasperated. "But, she threatened to cut Miss Torres's throat if she saw any cops!"

"Don't worry, I'll handle it. I'm hanging up now; stay hidden and stay quiet." he urged, closing the phone as he pulled his gun out slowly. After taking a few slow breaths, he ran to the front doors and burst them open. Immediately, he took aim.

"Freeze!" he shouted. There was only a small twitch in Theresa's arm before...

He shot her.

The adrenaline pumping in his system caused his lungs to work quickly, making him breath hard as he stared at the now injured Theresa on the polished floor. Before he took the shot, he didn't even know if he would hit his target or not. It took a few seconds before it registered that Ria was perfectly fine and that he had, somehow, accomplished his task. When it finally set into his mind, he quickly put his gun away and rushed to Theresa. He'd only hit her shoulder, so she wasn't going to die pretty quick, but he called the medical personnel anyway.

"Are you okay, Torres?" Ben asked gruffly as he retrieved the small knife and handcuffed the suspect.

"Fine." she huffed as a visible shiver ran up her back. "I think now I know how Lightman and Loker feel. Geez, I need to sit down." Ria left the scene in search of a quick seat and a time to think to herself. Ben took the time to finally wipe the sweat off his face and return his breathing to normal, keeping by the fugitive's side. As he'd pulled the trigger, he feared he would hit Ria and it was hard for him to recover from the feeling. What if he had? Where would that place him? But, the point was, he hadn't and Ria was safe. The third lunatic to the major threat was finally caught and he no longer had to sleep with a gun under his pillow, so to speak. Everyone was okay and that's what he continued to tell himself.

Everyone was okay.

* * *

The dark red vision of the back of his eyelids was a bothersome sight for Cal, but he struggled to open them. They were heavy, as was his whole body, as he started to notice the feeling in his limbs. Sounds whispered in his ears and one particular noise he recognized most assuredly. The sweet sigh of Gillian vibrated his ear drums and he worked to open his eyes just to see her. He only opened them a crack before blinking several times as an attempt to get used to the beaming light in the room. Cal groaned as he could feel aches and pains from his adventures in the warehouse.

The warehouse.

It wasn't all a dream like he'd hoped... The constant beeping of the heart rate monitor brought him back to reality and the memories rushed into his mind, nearly overwhelming him. There was danger, there was fear, there was a threat towards his team.

"Oi, Gill." Cal greeted as he squinted to fend off the light. She gasped as though something had just scared her and stood up immediately.

"Oh, Cal, you're awake!" she cried, tears filling her eyes. "How do you feel?" She crept towards his bedside, a true smile spreading across her face.

"Like I've walked through hell itself." he muttered.

"I was so worried!" she confessed, wiping away moisture from her tear ducts and trying not to smear her make up.

"I'm okay, Love, I'm alright." he assured her, wanting to reach a hand out to her, but feeling as if it would take more effort than his body was willing to give. He thought it strange that he wasn't in excruciating pain, but that could be because of the morphine.

"You know what?" she asked. "You owe me dinner for this one." Cal stared at her for a moment before a grin spread across his face.

"Alright, when I get out of here, I'll take you to dinner." he promised.

"No, you owe me probably..._five_ dinners!" she corrected, still trying to blink back tears. "You better not _ever_ do that to me again..._Never_!"

"Alright, love, alright." he chuckled weakly. They were quiet for a moment, simply enjoying each others company as Gillian held his hand. A sudden thought came over Cal and he turned to Foster.

"Hey, how...how is Loker?" he inquired, now remembering one of the phone calls. Foster sniffled before she answered, smiling slightly.

"He's going to be okay." she answered. "He's been sleeping a lot lately."

"Oh, good...good..." Lightman replied, sinking deep in thought. "I want to be in the same room as him."

"_You do_?" Gillian questioned, astonished at his request.

"Well, somebody's got to keep him in line." Cal protested.

"Cal...He's not really doing much of anything right now." Foster pointed out. "Just admit you want to see him." Lightman kept his gaze on her for a moment as if he was thinking it through.

"Alright, so what if I do? Get me a room with that idiot!" he ordered. Gillian tried hard to stifle a giggle, turning her head slightly until the desire passed.

Cal sighed as he stared at the ceiling. Maybe it was awkward to talk to Gill while he was lying down like that, but it was rather comfortable. He knew there were a lot of gaps to the frantic story of Pierce and his cohorts and he wasn't about to leave it at that.

"Tell me everything, love, I want to know it all." he ordered.

* * *

_Author's Note: I apologize that this chapter wasn't as dramatic as the other chapters, but like I said, this story is wrapping up now. Sad, but necessary... Please leave me some reviews!_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: This chapter is short...but it's **the end**! Sorry people who were hoping it would go on longer, but I warned you it was coming to a close. I tried to wrap it up as best I could. I hope this little blurb will help you believe the story is now over... It's sad, I know... Reviews please! :) (Even if there isn't much to review on)._

* * *

**9. Sharing**

Eli breathed in deeply through his nose as he blinked sleepiness from his eyes. He glanced around the room a moment...wait a minute, this wasn't his room. Where the heck was he? He turned to the left and...

"Agh!" he shivered, looking at Dr. Lightman who was reading a book with a bored expression. "H-how...w-what...?" His voice was still weak, but it didn't lack the shock he felt.

"You're a bloody deep sleeper." Cal mumbled as he perused the current page of his book. "They moved you in here and you didn't even notice." Eli looked around the room with more alarm, though his body was still too feeble to allow much movement. He tried to sink into his bed and relax, but having his boss share the same room as him somehow disturbed him. Great, he'd probably annoy the crap out of him.

"What book are you reading?" Loker croaked, trying to make pleasant conversation.

"I don't know, some rubbish Foster wanted me to read." Cal sighed as he skimmed another page. Eli tried to suppress a smirk, knowing there was an attraction between his two bosses. He had a habit of spying even when he didn't mean to and he saw the connection. Why didn't they just embrace it?

"How are you feeling?" Lightman sighed, putting the book down on his lap. Eli hesitated to answer, surprised of how considerate Cal was being.

"Fine...I'll live, I guess..." Loker mumbled, clearing his throat.

"Good, good...I thought you were dead when they first put you in here. You're too...too pale." Cal said truthfully, again astonishing Eli.

"Well, you don't look all that great yourself." Eli chuckled. "You probably look worse than I do."

"Mmm....I doubt it." Lightman answered. "We'll get Foster to take pictures and we'll compare the two."

"Right, I definitely want to capture this moment in my life." Eli grumbled, trying to reposition himself.

"Hm, I think this incident might get you a little bit of pay." Cal said thoughtfully. Eli smiled and closed his eyes, getting wearier with each waking minute.

"You know, you and Foster would look really good together." Loker observed. Lightman shot him an angry look. Radical honesty.

"Better yet, you don't deserve a paycheck."

Eli should work on keeping his mouth shut.

* * *

_Author's Note: Oh no! It's over... This calls for a celebratory dance on my side because I just finished my first fanfic ever! But maybe you guys aren't...Sorry. Reviews? :) (How about on the story as a whole? :P)_ **_Thank you so much for reading it, it warms my soul! :D_**


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